It doesn't matter what part of the country you may live in -everybody and every place is facing the strain of the current economic situation. And if you are a ministry leader or a pastor, your newest and biggest challenge is to help and care for those in your church to be able to navigate through these uncertain times.

What are the resources out there to assist the people in your church and those in your community? Believe it or not, there is a ton of stuff available, and most of it free. In the course of my own personal transition, I have come across a wealth of valuable resources to assist those either struggling financially or in a job transition.

Here are some of the things that I have discovered:Personal Networking and Support

Crossroads Career Network
Crossroads is a national Career Ministry and Network that is in churches throughout the country. This ministry partners with local churches, providing resources and networking to help those going through a job transition. Plus, they have a ton of resources on their website as well as job postings.Christ Centered Career Groups (C3G)
C3G is one of the best networking groups I have been a part of. The idea is that during a job transition, you shouldn't go it alone. C3G provides real networking and support while going through a job transition.

Local Church Job and Career Ministries
Now more than ever, churches are starting their own career ministries. Maybe they are partnering with Crossroads or perhaps they are going it alone. Regardless, you want to check your area for these opportunities. In the Atlanta area, there are more groups out there, then there would be time to attend. Most of the larger churches are the ones starting these ministries because of the volume of people and resources at their disposal. Many of these church based ministries provide networking, resume coaching, prayer and helpful seminars and training.

Social Networking

Linkedin
If you are not using Linkedin, you need to. LinkedIn is the premiere Social Network for business and working professionals. If you have a LinkedIn account, but haven't done much with it, you need to spend some time discovering more of what this tool can do for you. Linkedin is a powerful networking tool that you can effectively leverage during your job transition. If you have any questions on how to use Linkedin, feel free to drop me an email, I would be glad to help.

Job Sites and Experts on Twitter. You can find companies now posting jobs on Twitter, for example:
http://twitter.com/attjobs
http://twitter.com/JobsatIntel
http://twitter.com/chicagowebjobs
http://twitter.com/seojobs

Also Twitter is being used to be a great aggregator of jobs and postings:
http://www.jobfeedr.com/ (this site was done when I last checked, I hope that interruption in service is only temporary)

You also want to check out powerful job search engines such as Indeed.com

Financial and Business Coaching

Score.org - Perhaps your next move is to start your own business, or maybe you need help with your current one - you definitely want to check out SCORE. SCORE has 389 chapters throughout the United States with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors. SCORE is a great source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs.

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University - Financial Peace University is a life-changing program that teaches you how to make the right decisions with your money. You'll be empowered with the practical skills and confidence needed to achieve your financial goals and experience true financial peace!

Rethink Money - Rethink money provides proven financial coaching based on scripture that will help you and people in your church win financially, therefore becoming more like Jesus Christ! It helps people become a success with their finances.

What tools or resources can you add? What have you found to be helpful during this time?